Karam's rugby prowess scores him guest role on TV show

Joe Karam. Photo / Greg Bowker

Life after the Bain trial is moving on for former All Black Joe Karam, who will be featuring as a guest on Keith Quinn's new Sky TV rugby show.

Mr Karam - one of the staunchest advocates for acquitted murder accused David Bain's for more than a decade - has been invited on to Test Match Stories as part of the build-up to the second All Blacks versus France test.

Saturday night's programme goes to air 15 years to the day after five members of Mr Bain's family - father Robin, mother Margaret, sisters Arawa and Laniet and brother Stephen - were shot dead in their Dunedin home.

The show will interview past players about their All Black careers and experiences, and Mr Karam - a former fullback who played in Wellington in the early 1970s - will appear with Stu Wilson and Josh Kronfeld.

Mr Karam played the last of his 10 tests in June 1975, against Scotland.

Yesterday, he said he didn't want to talk about his pending appearance.

"They've asked me to go on and I'm going on.

"I have nothing to say. Martin Crowe [a Sky boss and former NZ cricket captain] asked me to go on and I'm going on."

Mr Crowe is the head of the network's Rugby Channel.

He said the interview was organised after Mr Bain was found not guilty of murdering his family.

Because of Mr Karam's involvement with the murder case, many people would have forgotten the contribution he had made to the All Blacks, and that he later left to play rugby league, Mr Crowe said.

"I remember him playing his last test because it was in the water against Scotland at Eden Park.

"But I have never heard him talk about his playing days or what it was like to be an All Black. It'll be nice to get him in front of the camera to talk rugby.

"Great for him, great for rugby enthusiasts."